Towing Help

[jdell]

I am looking to purchase a 33ft camper dry weight of 6033lbs. I have the heavy duty trailer package with 3.73 rear ratio. I believe my GVWR is 7200lbs. Let me know what you think. Thanks

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I think it'll pull it just fine. You got the 6 speed?

[jdell]

Sorry forgot to mention that. No, I have the 4 speed.

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Well, it'll still pull it just watch your gear, especially up hills. If you plan on pulling it very far.

[dlstewart01]

I am looking to purchase a 33ft camper dry weight of 6033lbs. I have the heavy duty trailer package with 3.73 rear ratio. I believe my GVWR is 7200lbs. Let me know what you think. Thanks

 

 

Dry weight does not incluse battery, propane and other items. There will be three to four hundred lbs added to the dry weight. There will be a sticker on the inside of one of the cabinet doors with the real weight as it left the factory. This will always be more then the sdvertised dry weight. Then there are clothes, food, water and all the other things (toys) you will take camping. Another one thousand pounds easly. So thats 7033 ready to camp. Your truck towing weight is rated with only one passenger. If you take anyone with you and put gear in the bed that is deducted from what you can tow. Also the tongue weight of the camper usually is 10 to 15% of the camper weight, will be in the 1200 lb range. Thats is deducted as well...So there you have it.You do the math. You can do it right or listen to every one that tells you its OK to tow over loaded. I think more of my family to put them at risk.

 

Have a good one.

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I said he could do it, but the tranny is the weakest link and will need to be kept in check. There's plenty of people who pull a 7000#+ camper with a 1500 and never have an issue. But, get your tongue weight right or you could lose control, I've seen that before with a toyota tacoma pulling a camper on the interstate, destroyed the truck and the camper but the passengers were fine.

[cghbuilder86]

I'm not for sure about all that extra added on weight...How often you plan on pulling. I wouldn't expect to be able to just step on it and blow and go. I would think though taking it easy in third gear, you'd be fine. It's a pretty stout combo 5.3 with 3.73. But I would try to keep it at or under my trucks tow rating. If you are planning on pulling it very often.

[Ragsy1083]

On GMC's website, it lists the max towing weight for the 5.3L w/the h.d. towing package at 9600 for the 3.42 granny but doesn't list a weight for the 3.73. However, every comparison between the 3.73 and 3.42 trannies shows that the 3.73 increases the towing capacity by 1000 lbs, so by interpolation you SHOULD be able to tow 10600 lbs, but if it were me, I would stick with the 9600 rating, just to be safe.

[TRCM]

On GMC's website, it lists the max towing weight for the 5.3L w/the h.d. towing package at 9600 for the 3.42 granny but doesn't list a weight for the 3.73. However, every comparison between the 3.73 and 3.42 trannies shows that the 3.73 increases the towing capacity by 1000 lbs, so by interpolation you SHOULD be able to tow 10600 lbs, but if it were me, I would stick with the 9600 rating, just to be safe.

 

 

I got basically the same truck, and my manual says 7500 , total 13,000.

 

really need to know 2 or 4 wd, and crew or body style to verify, but I'd say you are at or slightly over the limit. I know I wouldn't pull anything over 25 ft with a 1/2 ton truck.

[txab]

Contact this guy. He knows how to tow properly.

 

 

[jdell]

GMC is telling me my max trailer rate is 7500lbs. If this is correct, I should still be safe to tow this trailer right?

[dlstewart01]

GMC is telling me my max trailer rate is 7500lbs. If this is correct, I should still be safe to tow this trailer right?

 

As I said, The dry weight is not what the trailer will weight. They ALWAYS weight more. There will be a sticker inside one of the cabinets with the weight the trailer left the factory with.

 

Are you going to put your stuff in the camper when you go camping, food, clothes, water, all the little necessities to make camping more enjoyable, televisions, chairs, and toys.

 

This will raise the weight to a lot more, sometimes as much as 1000 lbs.

 

Your truck tow weight was figured with one passenger, are you taking passengers. Their weight will have to be deducted from the allowed towing weight.

 

The tongue weight for a camper that size will be in the 1200 + lb range. that weight will be setting on your hitch. That will have to be deducted from the factory towing weight.

 

You do the math..

 

And you will need a good weight distributing hitch.

 

Have a good one.

[smattei14]

GMC is telling me my max trailer rate is 7500lbs. If this is correct, I should still be safe to tow this trailer right?

 

As I said, The dry weight is not what the trailer will weight. They ALWAYS weight more. There will be a sticker inside one of the cabinets with the weight the trailer left the factory with.

 

Are you going to put your stuff in the camper when you go camping, food, clothes, water, all the little necessities to make camping more enjoyable, televisions, chairs, and toys.

 

This will raise the weight to a lot more, sometimes as much as 1000 lbs.

 

Your truck tow weight was figured with one passenger, are you taking passengers. Their weight will have to be deducted from the allowed towing weight.

 

The tongue weight for a camper that size will be in the 1200 + lb range. that weight will be setting on your hitch. That will have to be deducted from the factory towing weight.

 

You do the math..

 

And you will need a good weight distributing hitch.

 

Have a good one.

 

 

 

I didn't know that our trucks are rated with only with one person in them. I just look at the GVW and then I make sure I am under that number.

[music]

I'm pretty close to what you're considering, but the camper "dry weight" was listed at 5200 lbs (32 ft bumper to tongue). Fully loaded, with a family of five plus a dog, we are right at the GCWR (13k lbs) and the truck GVWR (7k lbs). Handles very well... at least as well as the previous 22 ft (5k lb wet) camper. My wife doesn't exactly pack light and those weights include bikes and some water in tanks, so maybe we could do a bit better.

 

Don's advice is good, and I'll add a couple of comments FWIW:

 

- The tongue weight gets "distributed" with a proper WD system. Roughly 25% of the tongue weight transfers to the trailer tires, and ~25% goes to the front axle. Properly configured w/ a WD system, a 1200 lb tongue will put ~900 lbs onto the truck itself (~300 lbs transfers to the trailer axles), but only if the correct spring bars are chosen (in this case, 1200 lb bars).

 

- From GM's info: **Maximum trailer ratings are calculated assuming standard equipped vehicle, driver, and required trailering equipment.

[ajcain79]

I travel light when I go camping and I weighed my trailer empty and again when loaded to go camping. I added 800 pounds of "stuff". My trailer's listed dry tongue weight is 600 pounds IIRC. When loaded the tongue weight is 1,040 pounds. My truck lists a 2,000 pound payload, but after weighing my truck I discovered my "real world" payload is 1,100 pounds. Your dry weight is quite a bit heavier than mine and I'm gonna guess that you will be overloading your payload for your truck.

 

I'm sure that if you load correctly and get proper WD and sway control you'll be fine, but if I were you I'd look for a lighter trailer or a bigger truck.

 

BTW: it only costs me $8 to get my truck and trailer weighed at a truck stop. It's worth it to me to make sure weights are good and distributed the best they can be. I don't want to fight the trailer if I don't have to.